What's your sign?
No, this isn't a bad first date.
Whether you charge your crystals by a new moon and refuse to date a Scorpio or you're raising your eyebrow skeptically reading— Astrology is back.
Are you going to tell me Mercury is in Retrograde?
No, well I don't know maybe, but no. As marketers, we are students of human behavior— and this is a behavior that can teach us something.
Astrology has grown over the past few years into a 2.1 billion dollar industry. Apps like Co-star are stepping in (and raising big rounds in the process).
Digging into the rise in Scorpio hate, we can learn quite a bit about what customers are looking for in 2020.
1. Segmentation and personalization
E-commerce companies are finding success with sign-based messaging and products because they feel inherently personal. E-commerce companies like Mejuri and Bite Beauty are successfully using your sign as a way to market new product lines.
The takeaway: Make your customer feel seen in your marketing. Segment intelligently, personalize your content and hop onto trends quickly where it makes sense for your business.
2. Storytelling that centers your customer
Humans are narrative creatures. Astrology helps provide a narrative to what we are experiencing that centers you as the protagonist of the story. You, Leo, are feeling distressed at work because the sun is in Cancer. This helps provide context to what you are experiencing and gives you a frame of reference for your life.
The takeaway: Build customer interviewing into the DNA of your company so you can directly reference exactly what your customer is going through in your marketing messaging. Make sure you're using "you" language, and not "us" language on your landing page.
3. Authenticity is queen
When the publication The Cut stopped writing sarcastic astrology columns and started producing sincere weekly horoscopes— their traffic spiked and their column gained a rabid fanbase.
The takeaway: In 2023, when Facebook uncles are peddling conspiracy theories, and "gurus" are selling you nonsense with PayPal screenshots, people are craving authenticity. Your brand needs to offer real value to your customer, in your content, on social, and in your email marketing.
Don't send something unless you can answer the question: Is this adding value to my customer's experience?
Be real, and be helpful, and hopefully not a Scorpio.
